Coupling

　　當這幾個人聚在一起，好戲就開場了...... ^[1] 

聰明女人Susan意識到自己已經到了女大當婚的年紀，就毅然決定甩掉不正經的男朋友Patrick，情場老手對自己被拋棄這樁事情實在是感到一頭霧水；那邊廂，高高帥帥的Steve的正在和最擅長紙上談兵的Jeff商量着怎樣擺脱他的有點神經兮兮的女友Jane的糾纏，他們都到了同一家飯店：故事就開始了......

第一集就以Susan和Steve成功結束舊關係開始了新的關係結束，並且在結尾2人和跟他們一同來為分手助陣的死黨朋友 Sall、Jeff,以及2人的舊男、女友Patrick、Jane拼桌吃飯，於是這6個人成了朋友，第一集也基本鈎劃出了整部劇的人物關係，在以後的劇集裏6人開始討論各自的尷尬事或是新鮮事。COUPLING不談別的，只説在“關係”裏的男女和不在“關係”裏的男女碰到的各種由“關係”衍生出來的事情。

很多人就把這部電視類比FRIENDS，這是正如很多劇評所言，FRIENDS講述的情感故事的尺度是清新自然，友好平和，而這部英國劇講的完全就是“關係”生活，對比這6個英國人，6位美國朋友就太天真純情了。不過大家都很明白，英國人的保守基本也只是相對於歐陸人而言。這部電視的講述的話題，不是美國的電視能隨便進行談論的。

《Coupling》的主要人物包括優柔寡斷、性格不成熟的帥哥Steve，Steve的莫逆之交、舉止語言古怪、總也找不到女友的Jeff，頭腦簡單、外表性感的“donkey” Patrick三位對Porn、特別是lesbian porn非常熱衷的男士，以及Steve的前女友、神神叨叨、擅用性感作武器的Jane，Steve的繼任女友、Jeff的同事、曾經非常“不羈”（包括和Jeff還有Patrick）過的Susan，Susan的莫逆、對衰老和肥胖極度敏感的美容師Sally三位女士。在第一集中，Steve決定“再次”和女友Jane分手，結果卻被Jane三言兩語引誘到洗手間親熱；Patrick想把和Susan的關係再進一步，卻被告知根本不存在什麼“關係”； Susan在洗手間碰到匆忙出來買Durex的Steve，向他表示好感，兩人訂下約會以後Steve鑽進隔間繼續……本劇的主線包括Steve和 Susan之間逐漸正式起來的關係，Jeff尋找豔遇過程中的種種意外以及後來和上司發展出來的一段關係，Patrick和Sally之間若有若無到若即若離再到情深難捨的感情發展，還有Jane在事業和異性關係中的各種奇事，等等。

本劇在情節設計中所達到的精緻程度讓人歎為觀止，而六位當時並不算大明星的青年演員的所展現的演技更是具有頂尖演員的水平，無怪乎播出之後立刻走紅大洋兩岸，在IMDB、AMAZON和BBC網站可以領略到其受歡迎的程度。2002年底，第3季播畢，故事情節基本告一段落。美國NBC看到這部“英國版《Friends》”在英美兩地均廣受歡迎，覺得正好可以搬來做2004年終於要關張的《Friends》的接班人，於是2003年大張旗鼓地決定翻拍美版《Coupling》。美國的fans本來以為這是件好事，沒想到NBC的翻拍愚蠢地採用了全台詞照搬的方法，雖然個人沒看過，不過也可以想象到有多噁心，結果只播出一集Pilot就因為罵聲太大而整個計劃擱淺。

2003年底，本劇獲得英國喜劇獎（BCA）最佳電視喜劇獎。BBC已經在2004年正式開拍並播出第4季，不過Jeff這個人物將不再出現，而代之以新角色——經營Sci-Fi書店的Oliver，由Richard Mylan扮演。從已經播出的幾集來看，應該説在更換主要角色之一的背景下，基本保持了前3季的水準，但是同時也流露出對前3季中成功情節進行拷貝的跡象，希望這僅僅是偶然。

Two's company, three's a crowd... so what do you do with six? On average, men and women think about sex every six seconds. Shorten that to every second, and you've got Coupling. It's more than just a one night stand!

When a couple gets together, it's never just the two of them - they also bring baggage - and Susan (Sarah Alexander) and Steve (Jack Davenport) are no exception. Their baggage is a crowd of best friends and exes who talk about all aspects of sex and relationships on their never-ending quest to find true love. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

Susan Walker is a beautiful go-getter with an uninhibited attitude who used to date Patrick Maitland (Ben Miles), the sextet's charismatic, cocky player, London's king of conquests - a guy who's just too cool to worry about being smart. Attractive Sally Harper (Kate Isitt) is a beauty therapist who is Susan's unashamedly vain best friend, who aggressively battles aging with heavy doses of moisturizer and men - including Patrick.

Meanwhile, Steve Taylor, while getting together with Susan, can't seem to shake loose from his vivacious and slightly vacuous ex-girlfriend Jane Christie (Gina Bellman), a woman supremely confident in her ability to seduce anyone of either sex, and who refuses to be dumped unless she's the one doing the dumping. Jeff Murdoch (Richard Coyle) is Steve's "porn buddy" who is, in equal parts, obsessed and bewildered by actual sex; charming in his way, but with an uncanny ability to say the wrong thing at the worst possible time. He works in the same office as Susan, with whom he had a disastrous and unsuccessful one-night fling.

Coupling has been honoured with the prestigious Silver Rose of Montreux, Best TV Comedy Award, and is recent winner at the 2003 British Comedy Awards.

With a new guy on the scene, a baby on the way, commitment in the air, and love on the horizon, the dynamics of the six friends are definitely changing.

At the end of last season Susan and Steve discovered they were pregnant (well, mostly Susan), confirmed bachelor Patrick and Sally finally admitted their true feelings for each other, and poor Jane was left on her own, once again.

But it's not all doom and gloom for Jane. As the new season opens, things are looking up. There's this guy called Oliver, who has his eye on her. Is it possible that lifetime loser in love Oliver might just get somewhere with lifetime loser in love Jane? Trouble is, his apartment is a little "un-edited" and his living room has lost the battle with magazine nudity...

Susan and Steve are now well and truly an item. So why is he dreaming about being executed by a fetus with an axe?

Meanwhile Sally and Patrick are settling into their new relationship. But since the dawn of time, men and women have been falling in love - and men have been trying to get home straight afterwards. Can fallen playboy Patrick ever find his way back from the enchanted glade of his one true love and get a decent night's sleep?